Local Leaders Shining in Pakistan

Pakistan is a country living in the global headlines for all the wrong reasons. And yet it is home to one of the longest running Langham Preaching programmes in the world. A feature of the movement is the number of respected senior leaders who are involved. Dr Pervaiz Sultan (St Thomas, Karachi) has been committed right from the beginning – and at the forthcoming Level Three programme in June 2011, Ashkenaz Khan (Principal, Zarephath Bible Institute, Islamabad), Irfan Jamil (Bishop of Lahore), Asif John & Chris Hawke (St Thomas, Karachi), and Qaiser Julius (Director, Open Theological Seminary, Lahore) will all be involved in delivering the training.

In July 2009 it was decided not to have any programmes facilitated by overseas trainers for two years. Instead regional initiatives – in and radiating out from Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad – with local trainers taking Level Ones were to be encouraged. This has been happening. Asif and Chris have been active in Karachi for a number of years. In the picture to the right, Qaiser – beneath the ‘five looks’ diagram devised by Andrew Reid and so loved by Langham trainers globally – is seen taking a Level One seminar with 45 people in Lahore.

Qaiser writes: “It was exciting. People appreciated the method. We are now receiving requests from other areas and I am trying to develop a team of facilitators who will be able to help in leading the seminars in the future.”